Yourfamily's genepool, eating habits, and activities can all play a role in your health and the way you look. Type 2 diabetes is increasing in adolescents and teenagers who are overweight. Diabetes means that blood glucose (blood sugar) is too high.

Diabetes is serious. It can hurt your eyes, kidneys, heart and blood vessels,
gums, and teeth. Even if members of your family have type 2 diabetes or other
health problems, it doesn't mean that you will have the same problems. To lower
your chances of developing them, eat healthy foods, get moving, and talk to your
family or health care provider if you are concerned about your weight or health.

The road to better health starts with good eating and physical activityhabits.
Being aware of your habits will help you learn where you
need to make changes.

Do you normally watch a lot of TV or play a lot of video games? These
activities can be relaxing, but you don't need to move much to do them. Spending
too much time not moving around can make you feel tired and lazy, and lead to
poor muscle tone. You can be active every day and still have time to do other
things you enjoy, like playing video games!

Being active means moving more every day. You can choose activities that are
fun and do them on your own or with your friends.

Being more active will make you feel better and give you more energy. It can
also help you think and concentrate better, which will help you in school or at
work. Activity can help you feel less bored and depressed, and help you handle
stress.

So don't wait——start today. Begin slowly and make small changes in your daily
routine, like:

• spending less time in front of the TV
  
  
• taking the stairs instead of the elevator
  
  
• walking to school instead of taking the bus (or if you drive, parking further
  away on the school parking lot).
  

• Walk—to school, to work, to your friend's house, to the mall.
  
• Ride your bike.
  
• Skateboard.
  
• Rollerblade.
  
• Walk with a friend or family member——make it "quality time"!
  
• Play basketball.
  
• Join a school sports team or club
  
• Walk the family dog. If you don't have one, find a neighbor who does.
  
• Go dancing.
  
• Go for a hike.
  
• Go for a swim.
  
• Wash the car.
  
• Clean the house.
  
• Mow the lawn.
  

(OK, the last three aren't fun, but your parents will appreciate you doing them!)

You Are What You Eat!

Take a look at your eating habits. What you eat, where you eat, and why you eat
are important to your health. As a teen, you need to eat a variety of foods that
give you the nutrients your growing body needs. Eating better and being more
active can make you feel better and think more clearly.

What do you eat?

If you eat a lot of burgers and fries or pizza loaded with toppings—plus an extra
helping of dessert—your diet is probably not balanced. There's nothing wrong
with eating these foods—you just need to eat smaller amounts and balance
them with other foods.

Where do you usually eat?

If you eat in places such as your room or in front of the TV, you may want to
change that habit. Eating while doing other things makes it easy to lose track of
how much you've already eaten. By eating meals and snacks at a table, you can
pay more attention to what you're eating so that you don't overeat.(If you want to snack while watching TV, take a small amount of food with you—such as a
handful of pretzels or a couple of cookies—not the whole bag.)

Why do you eat?

To see if you need to change your eating habits, let's look at why you eat. For
most people, reasons to eat are:

• Time of day
  
• Hunger
  
• Food looks tempting
  
• Everyone else is eating
  
• Boredom, frustration, nervousness, or sadness
  

The best reason to eat is because your body tells you that you are hungry. If you
are eating when you are not hungry, try doing something else to get food off of your mind. Call a friend, exercise, read, or work on a craft. These activities can help you to cut back on eating when you are feeling bored, upset, or stressed.

To improve your eating habits, try to eat the suggested number of servings from
each food group in the Food Guide Pyramid.

Bread, Cereal, Rice, & Pasta Group

1 slice of bread
1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

Vegetable Group

1 cup of raw leafy vegetables
1/2 cup of other vegetables——cooked or chopped raw
3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Fruit Group

1 medium apple, banana, or orange
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
3/4 cup of fruit juice

Milk, Yogurt, & Cheese Group

1 cup of milk or yogurt
1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese
2 ounces of processed cheese (1 ounce is about the size of your thumb)

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, & Nuts Group

2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
(3 ounces is about the size of a deck of cards)
1/2 cup of cooked dry beans
1 egg counts as 1 ounce of lean meat.
Two tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts counts as 1 ounce of meat.

For a Healthy Diet, Eat Daily:

Breads, Cereals, Rice, and Pasta (at least 6 servings daily)

Breads: whole-grain, whole-wheat, cracked wheat, multigrain, and oatmeal
(Go easy on high-fat spreads like butter.)

Cereals: whole-grain, hot and cold.

Rice and pasta: brown rice, whole-wheat or enriched pasta.
(Try tomato sauces, which are lower in calories than cream sauces.)

Fruits  (at least 2 servings daily)

All kinds: fresh, canned, or frozen.

Vegetables  (at least 3 servings daily)

All kinds: fresh, canned, frozen, boiled, steamed, or baked.

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese  (at least 2 servings daily)

Nonfat or lowfat milk, yogurt, and cheeses.
(Foods from this group contain calcium, which is very important in a growing
body.)

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts (at least 2 servings daily)

Meat, poultry, and fish: lean, skinless, broiled, roasted, or simmered instead of
breaded and fried. Or try dry beans and peas, which are lower in fat.

Snack Attack – Healthy Snack Ideas:

• Baked potato chips or tortilla chips with salsa
  
• Pretzels - lightly salted or unsalted
  
• Bagels with tomato sauce and lowfat cheese
  
• Flavored rice cakes (like caramel or apple cinnamon)
  
• Popcorn——air popped or lowfat microwave
  
• Veggies with lowfat or fat-free dip
  
• Lowfat cottage cheese topped with fruit or spread on whole-wheat crackers
  
• Ice milk, lowfat frozen or regular yogurt (add skim milk, orange or pineapple juice, and sliced bananas or strawberries to make a lowfat milk shake)
  
• Frozen fruit bars
  
• Vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, graham crackers, animal crackers, fig bars, raisins
  
• Angel food cake topped with strawberries or raspberries and lowfat whipped cream
  
• String Cheese
  

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Weight Control Information Network

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